Developing
Balance: Exercises
By Faith Meredith
Director of Riding, Meredith Manor International Equestrian Centre
WAVERLY, WV--Relaxation
and balance are the first two skills riders must develop as they work
their way up the riding tree. In some ways, they are like that proverbial
chicken and eggwhich comes first? Without relaxation, it is hard for a
rider to stay balanced over the horse. Without good balance, it is hard
for a rider to relax. As balance improves, riders develop greater confidence
that they are not going to fall off. That mental confidence, in turn,
helps minimize the gripping and tension that pushes riders out of the
saddle and contributes to being “off balance.”
Staying relaxed on
the horse does not mean flopping around in the saddle with loose muscles.
Balanced riders must develop a feel for where their body is positioned
relative to the horse’s center of gravity (and they must be able
to do this while looking straight ahead, not down). They also need to
develop “muscle memory,” an unconscious tensing and releasing
of the right muscles in just the right increments that enables them to
maintain their equilibrium in motion at any gait or on any line they are
riding without gripping with their legs or grabbing at the reins to stay
on.
There are a number
of exercises that riders can use to help themselves develop the “muscle
memory” they need to stay in balance with their horses. These include:
* Frog position. Riders
draw their knees up to help them find the middle of the saddle and to
stay there without gripping with their calves.
* Dog position. Riders
lift their thighs away from the saddle (like a dog lifting its leg) to
help them find the center of the saddle without gripping with their thighs.
* Up two, down one.
Instead of normal up-down posting to the horse’s two-beat trot, riders
stay up for two beats, sit for one beat, and keep repeating this pattern.
This constantly changes the diagonal that the riders are on and prevents
them from using the rhythmic thrust of either hind leg as a crutch to
maintain their balance.
* Riding without stirrups.
Riders can work on this alone but they will achieve faster results if
an instructor or knowledgeable riding partner puts their horse on a longe
line so they can work without either stirrups or reins. Start at the walk
(in both directions) and gradually work up to the trot and canter as balance
improves.
While they are developing
balance, English riders can attach a short leather strap to the dee rings
on the front of their saddles. They can hold this strap at the sitting
trot to help them pull their seat deeper into the saddle. They can also
grab it when they lose their balance instead of grabbing at the reins
and the horse’s mouth to right themselves. They can hold on to it
when they first start riding without stirrups and reins on the longe line.
When they feel secure enough to let it go, they can add new balance challenges
such as riding with their arms out on both sides, with both arms straight
up, or with arms out to the side as they twist from side to side at the
waist.
I do not recommend
riding with bareback pads to develop balance because they encourage gripping
with the calves. A good saddle helps the rider sit correctly and riders
must learn to sit correctly in a saddle for most competitions. So they
want to learn to do this from the start.
Off-the-horse exercises
can be extremely helpful in developing balance. Many people cannot stand
or jump on one foot or do a simple squat without losing their balance.
Any exercise that helps them develop balance on the ground will carry
over into their work on the horse’s back.
Squats are a good
balance exercise. Riders can start against a wall at first and move away
as their strength builds. Eventually, they can work up to a one-legged
squat with the other leg extended out in front of them. Trampoline work
is also great for balance. Riders can cross train in any of the martial
arts, yoga, ice skating, roller blading or any other exercise program
or sport that challenges their balance.
Don’t be surprised
to find yourself revisiting balance and relaxation issues over and over
again as you gain riding experience. Just when you feel relaxed and balanced
at one gait, the instructor introduces another and your old issues resurface.
Just when you feel relaxed and balanced on one particular horse, you start
riding one with completely different confirmation and gaits. Or you move
outdoors after a winter of riding inside. Or you start riding on hilly
trails after years of ring riding. As you steadily work toward the goal
of achieving an independent seat, these changes will upset your balance
and relaxation less and less. Just keep riding.
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©
2004 Riding Masters Ltd.
Faith Meredith coaches riders in dressage, reining, and eventing and
has successfully trained and competed horses through FEI levels of
dressage. She is the Director of Meredith Manor International Equestrian
Centre (Route 1, Box 66, Waverly, WV 26184; 1-304-679-3128; http://www.meredithmanor.com),
an ACCET accredited equestrian educational institution. |
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